Each year we celebrate spring’s arrival with whisking up this zesty dressing for a spinach, papaya and avocado salad that bursts with a myriad of flavours.
We’ve just started growing organic spinach in our kitchen garden as part of our ongoing means of trimming and keeping our food miles at Mille Fleurs Restaurant to the absolute minimum. Although Jamaica has local endemic versions of this green leaf like Wild Hook and the delicious Callaloo bought over long ago from Western Africa, spinach does seem to bring out the best from the papaya and avocado that plump out this springtime salad.
In tandem with papaya spinach has superb anti-inflammatory properties to help relieve you of any final winter aches and pains. Adding an avocado into your salad you can increase your body’s ability to process carotenoids that spinach is rich in by up to 400%. It is these that act as a natural sunblock for the eyes, protecting the macula from excessive sun damage by acting as a natural sunblock. Whilst on holiday in Jamaica or any sunny climes we advise ignoring the outdated dietary advice read up on this superfood and indulge!
- Dressing Ingredients :
- ½ Cup Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
- 6 tbsp. Orange Juice ( about 1.5-2 oranges)
- 2 tbsp. Lime Juice ( about 1 lime)
- 1 tbsp. Ground Cumin
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 ½ lbs. Fresh Spinach, peeled, stems removed, washed well and dried
- 2 Ripe Avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced ½ inch thick
- 2 tbsp. Lime Juice ( about 1 lime)
- 1 Medium-Sized Papaya or 2 small ones, peeled, seeded and diced into ½ inch cubes
- 1 Red Onion thinly sliced
- In a bowl, whisk all the ingredients for the dressing together until well blended.
- Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl, pour the dressing over and toss lightly.
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